Peruvian prime minister under fire for publicly praising Hitler

Peru’s Prime Minister Anibal Torres Vazquez came under fire on Thursday after publicly praising the leadership of German dictator Adolf Hitler, the brutal Nazi leader responsible for the murder of over 6 million Jews during the Holocaust.

Torres made the comments during a meeting with the Council of Ministers in the Peruvian city of Huancayo, where he highlighted the importance of national infrastructure, calling the highway system the “veins and arteries” of a country.

During his remarks, the the PM recalled how Hitler had been inspired to build the Autobahn after experiencing the Italian highway system during a visit to northern Italy where he met with Italian dictator Benito Mussolini.

According to Torres, after Hitler saw how one Italian road ran from Milan to Brescia, he decided Germany, too, should be filled with highways and airports, adding that the Nazi leader turned the Third Reich into the world’s leader economic power.

“I’ll give you an example,” Torres said. “Italy, Germany were just like us, but on one occasion, Adolf Hitler visits northern Italy and Mussolini shows him a highway built from Milan to Brescia. Hitler saw that, he went to his country and filled it with highways, with airports. He made Germany the leading economic power in the world.”

The embassy of Israel was quick to respond to Torres’ claim, saying, “we regret that the Peruvian political discourse includes references such as Hitler and Mussolini as an example of prosperity. Regimes of death and terror cannot be a sign of progress.”

“Hitler was responsible for the death of 6 million Jews, praising him is an offense to the victims of that worldwide tragedy,” the tweet continued.

Lamentamos que el discurso político peruano incluya a referentes como Hitler y Musolini como ejemplo de prosperidad. Regímenes de muerte y terror no pueden ser una muestra de progreso.
(1/2)

— Israel En Peru (@IsraelinPeru) April 7, 2022

The German embassy also blasted Torres for his misguided sentiment, noting that, “Adolf Hitler was a fascist and genocidal dictator, in whose name the worst war of all time was carried out from Germany and a genocide of 6 million Jews was committed.”

The President of Peru’s Congress, Maria del Carmen Alva, informed Congress of Torres’ “regrettable statements,” noting that the council president had “praised the alleged achievements of the genocidal Nazi, Adolf Hitler,” adding that he was responsible for the death of millions of people, including six million Jews.

“We want to express our rejection of this nonsense, which offends all of humanity,” Alva noted.

The Peruvian Ombudsman's Office "energetically" rejected Torres’ comments and affirmed on Twitter that his expressions "reflect a profound ignorance of history and show contempt for the millions of victims of Nazism.”

According to the ombudsman's office, "an official who does not know the historical origin of Human Rights and shows contempt for them cannot remain in office."

A nuestro juicio, un funcionario que desconoce el origen histórico de los #DerechosHumanos y muestra desprecio por ellos no puede permanecer en el cargo. #LasPersonasPrimero (3/3)

— Defensoría Perú (@Defensoria_Peru) April 7, 2022

In an interview with Al Vuelo, historian Carmen McEvoy said that such statements are representative of the poor quality of Castillo’s government – adding that the president’s inner-circle regularly relies on volunteerism and improvisation.

“When you rely on improvisation, such comments about Hitler and his friend Mussolini are inevitably made,” she said.

But amid the criticism, Torres doubled down.

“I mentioned the infrastructure built in Nazi Germany as an example – but we must not misunderstand things. I am not providing the Third Reich or Hitler as an example to follow,” Torres said upon learning of the Israeli government’s admonition, the Washington Post reported.

“I have also said that he was a great criminal, a great delinquent,” Torres said, adding that he would like to apologize to the Israeli Ambassador directly if he was offended by his past comments.

“I’ve offended you, I apologize and we will talk personally. My family is connected to Jews … So you don’t have to worry, Mr. Ambassador,” he said.

Torres is a 79-year-old jurist and businessman who became the legal advisor of Castillo’s “Marxist-Leninist” Peru Libre party. After Castillo was first elected to office last year, he was appointed Minister of Justice and Human Rights.

On March 8, after yet another cabinet reshuffle, Torres was appointed as president of the Council of Ministers. After two months on the job, his disapproval rating among Peruvians stands at 62%, according to data from the pollster Datum.